Sarah E. Boslaugh, Ph.D., M.P.H., has over 20 years of experience
in statistical analysis, grant writing, and teaching; her employers
and clients have included the New York City Public Schools,
Montefiore Medical Center, Kennesaw State University, Washington
University School of Medicine, and Saint Louis University. She
served as editor-in-chief for the Encyclopedia of Epidemiology
(SAGE, 2007), and has published three additional books: An
Intermediate Guide to SPSS Programming: Using Syntax for Data
Management (SAGE, 2004), Secondary Data Sources for Public Health:
A Practical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and
Statistics in a Nutshell (O’Reilly, 2nd ed., 2012).
Boslaugh received her Ph.D. in measurement and evaluation from the
City University of New York Graduate Center and her M.P.H. from
Saint Louis University. She is currently a technical writer and
editor at Saint Louis University in Missouri. She specializes
in data-based articles and explaining statistical principles to the
general public. Her research interests include comparative health
care delivery systems, quality of life measurement, and gender and
sexuality issues in health care delivery. In her spare time, she
reviews films and books for PopMatters (http://www.popmatters.com)
and Playback St. Louis (http://www.playbackstl.com).
“As the chief editor states, ‘epidemiology is one of the
foundational sciences of public health and evidence based
medicine.’ These two volumes serve their purpose well: ‘to describe
basic epidemiologic concepts in sufficient depth for practitioners’
and also nonspecialists. The set fills a niche between mere
dictionaries and highly technical encyclopedias; it is directed
toward students and others outside the field of epidemiology who
require a working knowledge of underlying concepts. The simple
alphabetical arrangement is enhanced by a categorized guide that
facilitates the study of epidemiology. Under ‘Epidemiologic Data,’
contributors explain major health data sources such as the
Framingham Heart Study, National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey, and National Health Interview Survey. Reflecting the
interrelationship with diverse fields, topics range from health
psychology to health economics, ethics, and biostatistics. Some
articles desribe underlying biostatistical concepts-from measures
of central tendency, to kappa, to the Pearson correlation
coefficient. Others explain public health research design,
including community studies, and address the value and limitations
of case reports and case series. Of particular note is a decision
chart to help in choosing appropriate research designs. Health
students and faculty will desire an online version of this gem!
Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through
professional practitioners.”
—CHOICE
*Choice*
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